Don't mean to be a prude but...

Some people should really learn some bloody EQ...
So I was discussing a problem with a co-worker, looking at some output on his monitor in his cube, when this other engineer walked up, waltzed in right beside me (in an 8x8 cube that can be rather intrusive), and started talking to him as if I wasn't there, and what's more, bloody well proceeded to open some file on the very same bloody monitor that we've been looking at!
I mean, what the heck is this?!
After opening his dang file, he suddenly turned back to me and asked, "Ohhhh did I interrupt something?" in a heavy accent.
"Of course you bloody moron--are your eyes on your arse?" I wanted to say.
But I restrained myself, gave him a cold stare and walked off calmly without reply.

Many people have commented that the onus lies on the owner of the cubicle to set things right.

The birds and the bees

There's a tree right outside the window near my cubicle, and right now it's in full bloom with small, yellow flowers on every branch and twig. Whenever I need a break from staring at the monitor, I'll walk to the window and admire the trees gently swaying in the breeze. Because of all the flowers, I see birds and bees busily harvesting nectar or scrunching for food. They're so wondrous to look at, especially the bees. The tree is really close to the window so I experience the fortune of being able to study the bees' activity closeup, almost like watching a live Discovery Channel documentary. Admiring the little yellow-and-black bundles of boundless energy zooming around, stopping now and then to gather a mouthful of nectar, then flying off again, is really most relaxing. Wish I can do this more often...
Isn't it sad that nature isn't a part of most people's lives nowadays? I mean, even comparing what I saw to a TV program is sad!

Guys' night out--Semi-pro league, Fortress America, great conversation

I find it amazing that sometimes acquaintances or even strangers can easily become friends just because they shared common, defining experiences in the past. Take, for example, guys from my country can instantly related to one another if they've been through a stint in the armed forces.
Yesterday, I met up with some college friends for dinner. One of them, R, graduated a couple of years before I did so we were not that close. Throughout dinner, R entertained us with very amusing stories about his work, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Why does the field of consulting consist of the most interesting (good and bad) characters? I could certainly learn to appreciate someone who calls me a, "conniving, sniveling bastard." :)
Anyway, then we started talking about football, the World Cup, Zidane, Argentina, Brazil, grandpa Roberto Carlos, and eventually the Semi-pro League. Yes, the Semi-pro League where we used to cheer our team on with the Kallang Roar. The Semi-pro League when heroes like Fandi Ahmad, V. Sundramoorthy, T. Pathmanathan, Abbas Saad, Alistair Edwards graced the green green grass of the National Stadium. (Not forgetting Michal Vana) Why is it that our country cannot a single player of international calibre other than Fandi Ahmad after all these years?

All those memories.... one favourite tactic for our team was to hoof the ball towards goal straight from kickoff and have someone fast and skilful, like Abbas, sprint towards goal in the hope of catching the opposition off-guard. Hahaha I wonder how many other teams do that. And that 3-2 victory over Pahang in the M'sia Cup semifinal has to be one of our most satisfying victories ever. Magical, brazilian-esque cheeky backheel from Sundram for Fandi to score. Those were the days...nowadays we can't even beat Thailand, so don't even talk about qualifying for the World Cup.
We chatted and laughed until the restaurant threw us out, and then we went to R's place and played a classic boardgame called Fortress America until the wee hours. Good job, Milton-Bradley, come up with a brilliant game and, of course, the limited edition covers (ours was the Saddam of the 1990 Gulf War edition)
Good ol' guys' night out. Yes, this is what we do when our other halves are not around...

红蜻蜓

paupau's 勇气 and 真挚 have been inspiring.
In a funny way, my memories of crushes I had in secondary and high school were evoked. When I did stupid things like waiting for her at the bus-stop to board the same bus just to have a chance to "bump into" her, even though my home was 2 hours away in the OPPOSITE direction. When I tried to find clues to how much she appreciated my affection in every word she uttered, every gesture she made. When everyone else at school down to the old lady selling fried noodles at the canteen knew and covertly laughed at me. :) Man, it must have been so awkward for her, trying to be just friends with me and yet drop negative hints that I conveniently ignored. I'm glad I was too shy to do something really stupid and embarrass her in front of the whole school. :) Eventually I got over her and had a crush on another girl of course, which also resulted in intoxicating highs of dreamy self-delusion and heart-breaking lows of cold stark reality. All history now, of course, those carefree days where clouds hovered lazily in the sky and waves rolled gently against the shore. Sorry about that girls, you had your chances :), but I'm head over heels in lalaland with this sweet, wonderful girl now. Hope you're happy, old friends, wherever you are.

Cherishing the here and now

The easiest way to cherish something is to put oneself in a situation where one is going to lost it. Why am I planning to leave the States? Not exactly sure... I tell myself and anyone who cares to ask that Asia calls, that I long for the feeling of being back in a land where everything seems so familiar and 亲切.
Am I being stupid by not listening to the advice of people so much more experienced than I am? "You have less career prospects there", "So many people want to come over here and yet you're thinking about going back?", "It's better to work a few more years so you can go back in a better position"....
Don't know.... is there ever an "ideal time" to do something? But I ramble... anyway, all these thoughts of departure from the land of good weather and tech and freedom makes me cherish the present and the here and now more. I am thankful for that.
People say I'll miss the bay area if I leave, and I'm sure I will. The great outdoors, the wide open spaces, the superlative weather, the diversity, and many more wonderful, wonderful things. Over the other side of the Pacific, there's public transportation (man check out those air-conditioned, punctual-to-the-millisecond trains), people-watching, yummy food, feeling of cultural closeness (well, relatively), and so many other things that I haven't experienced, people whom I haven't had the fortune to meet.
Money and career, oh well, the question hanging off many friends' lips. "Are you so tired of earning too much moola here that you want to take a paycut?", "So you want to become a second-class citizen in another country eh?", they joked. Fair enough, sometimes I start to wonder as well. :)